


Steadfast

by scribblesonapage (Jaeh)



Category: Merlin - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Platonic to me, Post Finale, random headcanon, squint if you wish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-26
Updated: 2013-06-26
Packaged: 2017-12-16 06:33:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/858963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaeh/pseuds/scribblesonapage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world changes around him as he remains steadfast in his wait.</p><p>Written for something in livejournal. Unfortunately, I forgot what it was, but it was an anon bit, and I decided to pull this out into the open. I also forgot the original prompt. Sorry guys. If you've read this, that was me. Hah.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steadfast

The world changes around him as he remains steadfast in his wait.

Merlin stands by the shore, watching the waves lap against the rocks. A drone from an aeroplane interrupts his solitude, and he looks up. The world has become much louder throughout the years, and Merlin found that this has only added to his seclusion.

This is not his world, and he's never felt like he belonged in this era. He is a relic of the old (forgotten) religion, and he is lonely. And tired, so tired.

But he will wait.

People rarely come by his small shack. He is generally treated as a bizarre outsider, not only because he looks like an old hermit, but also because he appears to be a grumpy old man who wanted to be left alone.

Only the other day he screamed at a child to "Get off my bloody lawn!" He was turning into the part he played, he observes with chagrin. If only Arthur could see him. He will never hear the end of it.

He’s had to change his appearance, make himself seem older until his new identity 'dies', and then replaced by a distant nephew from Wales, Scotland, or some other nearby country who has decided to set a solitary life near a lake, coincidentally a splitting image of his 'dead uncle'.

It worked for centuries upon centuries, and he doesn't see any reason to change his routine.

He remained in relative isolation, only coming out of his hiding to visit the remaining descendants of the Pendragon family. They only know him as a family friend who knew their father. Or their father's father. Nobody knows who he really was. Either way, they accepted him as a permanent fixture in their lives, including every other younger version of himself as well. They are the ones who helped him understand the newer concepts of the world, from the carts drawn by invisible horses to communication over long distances using devices no bigger than the palm of his hand.

The world has finally discovered how to do _real_ magic on its own and _welcomed_ it, and Merlin couldn't be prouder.

Arthur will be mortified. And then fascinated. He will probably want one of those small mobile phones to fiddle with whenever he gets bored.

 _Arthur_. Merlin closes his eyes, and lies back on the floor, a small jacket as his pillow, and tries to remember. Through time, Merlin has found that his king's face, voice - his memories, fade slowly, and when he finally woke up and realised that he did not remember what colour Arthur's eyes were, he panicked. And then he breathed. It was inevitable, he realises. He is still somewhat human; there are limits to what his mind can remember clearly. He just wishes he had a photograph of everyone from back home.

He buried every single one of them, and when Percival, the last of his friends and loved ones, died, that was when he realised that he was now _absolutely_ all on his own.

But he will endure, and he will last. He will stand guard and wait for his king, no matter how long it will take.

Even if it takes him countless lifetimes.

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, everything's platonic to me.
> 
> Thanks to Will, a friend of mine, for the lovely beta work. Any mistake is mine, not his. Also, I still hate that series ending because saaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. xD


End file.
